Liesel, a nine year old girl is living with a foster family onHimmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

Some Important information:

This novel is narrated by Death

It’s a small story, about

A girl

An accordionist

Some fanatical Germans

A Jewish fist fighter

And quite a lot of thievery.

Another thing you should know

Death will visit the Book Thief three times.

I had this book recommended to me by more than one person, and when I eventually got it out of the library, I struggled to get into it. But by the second chapter, I could not put it down.

The quirkiness of the tale makes this story truly remarkable. It is about a small town just outside of Munich that was affected by the war. There were those who supported it, strongly opposed to Jewish people and the allies. Then there were those who wondered what all the fuss was about.

Liesel had already witnessed death. Because of it she had to live with a foster family, and there she met the Accordionist who taught her to read. Through his connections, a Jewish fist fighter comes to live with them, in their basement until an incident sends him away.

Liesel’s partner in crime is her next door neighbour, that she falls in love with. Often they wonder the neighbourhood, looking for an opportunity to fill their stomachs, or in Liesel’s case, her mind with another book.

The ending of the book is shocking and surprising. One minute everything is going well, the next there is a hole where Himmel Streetused to be. Who survived? Who didn’t? That is for you to discover when you read The Book Thief.